Burn the boats

It discussed the challenge for media companies redefining themselves for the web. This gem caught my eye …

The one thing technology companies do really well is deal with constant disruption. “Microsoft is going through this right now,” he points out, “Ballmer is not complaining about it.” He’s tackling it head on.

One of our challenges with Xero is creating process change for small businesses and accountants. We see the opportunity clearly. From our point of view it’s obvious the world is changing quickly but sometimes we forget that we are used to constant disruption that is not common in many other industries.

The best way we’ve thought of driving change has been through constant evangelizing and telling the stories of those who have changed and can talk to the benefits that they perceive. We are starting to see 100% Xero practices that have embraced the power of being connected to all of their customers – so it is working, but it’s also good to realize that in the tech industry we are used to dealing with significant change.

Technical debt accrues for many reasons. Sometimes as developers, we are pushing to get features out of the door, and speed trumps elegance. Sometimes, technology moves on and choices which were good at the time just don’t age well. Other times we’re working with technology that is new to us and we’re not up-to-date with ...

More than 100 small businesses and advisers packed out the New Zealand High Commission Penthouse in London last week for Business in the Clouds, showcasing some of New Zealand’s retail technology superstars. Volcano Coffee Works, based in London and born and bred in New Zealand, helped demonstrate a day in the life of a retailer ...